Jim Whittaker: key obituary facts
Is Jim Whittaker dead? Yes. Jim Whittaker died on April 7, 2026, at age 97.
Cause of death: Jim Whittaker's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Jim Whittaker known for?
Jim Whittaker was an American mountaineer.
More about Jim Whittaker
Born: (1929-02-10)February 10, 1929Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupation: Mountaineer.
Jim Whittaker, an American mountaineer, died on April 7, 2026, at age 97.
Born in Seattle on February 10, 1929, he was an American climber and mountain guide. Whittaker became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 1, 1963, as a member of the American Mount Everest Expedition led by Norman Dyhrenfurth.
He climbed with Sherpa Nawang Gombu and was raised in Seattle, where he began climbing in his teens with his twin brother, Lou Whittaker.
Jim Whittaker, 97, American mountaineer.